He missed the first start of the school year since, injured, he did not play a single preseason match, but Nick Claxton will not miss the second, the “real” one could say, by playing this Wednesday against the Hawks for the first match of the 2024/25 regular season in Brooklyn.
The Nets will therefore be able to count on their oldest player. Because yes, at only 25 years old, the pivot, drafted in 2019, is indeed the player with the greatest longevity in Brooklyn. This was already the case last season, but Mikal Bridges was present and the reconstruction – before the drop in collective results – was not yet complete. He is now almost in the role of mentor.
“I have known a lot of great veterans since I have been in the league and have been able to absorb a lot of knowledge from these many players and coaches,” he said before giving a list. “DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Caris LeVert. There are a lot of them and I'm a sponge. I constantly listen and remember all this. I'm going to use what I learned from these guys, what I saw on the court to help others and take my game to the next level.”
Rediscover the childish pleasure of playing
That's what the Nets will be waiting for after betting $100 million on him this summer for four more seasons. In a team expected to be very weak, he can and must explode. “My expectations for this training is simply to fight. We clearly don't have big ambitions this season, but we will have to be competitive every night. For my part, I want to continue to grow and be a leader for this group.”he continues.
He says it himself, he will have “need a few matches” before regaining his sensations as he did not play in preseason, when, for his part, Jordi Fernandez explains that the player's health is “priority” for the Nets. However, given the conditions, Nic Claxton can approach this exercise with a light mind.
“This is the first time that I am not worried about a contract, nor about health issues. I just need to get out there and have fun.” he announces. “I want to feel like a child again and have fun with this young group. I can't wait to see what this will look like. It's a new system and I'm going to learn a lot. I'm ready. »
| Nicholas Claxton | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | BRK | 15 | 13 | 56.3 | 14.3 | 52.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 4.4 |
| 2020-21 | BRK | 32 | 19 | 62.1 | 20.0 | 48.4 | 1.3 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 6.6 |
| 2021-22 | BRK | 47 | 21 | 67.4 | 0.0 | 58.1 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 5.6 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 8.7 |
| 2022-23 | BRK | 76 | 30 | 70.5 | 0.0 | 54.1 | 2.4 | 6.8 | 9.2 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 12.6 |
| 2023-24 | BRK | 71 | 30 | 62.9 | 20.0 | 55.1 | 2.7 | 7.2 | 9.9 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 11.9 |
| Total | 241 | 26 | 66.1 | 15.8 | 54.4 | 2.2 | 5.6 | 7.8 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 10.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
